Professor launches journal devoted to science fiction

December 12, 2013

Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies Juan C. Toledano Redondo

Subject matter for science fiction literature is boundless, and so too are the languages in which it is published. A new literary journal, Alambique, explores scholarly research and criticism in the fields of science fiction and fantasy, all originally composed in Spanish or Portuguese.

The journal was conceived and edited by Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies Juan C. Toledano Redondo and Miguel Ángel Fernández Delgado, a colleague from El Colegio de México. The first issue was recently published by the University of South Florida at Tampa Library, and Toledano anticipates that it will continue to be published on an annual basis.

Toledano is already looking forward to how the project could benefit students at Lewis & Clark and scholars internationally.

“As the journal receives submissions, the material will be invaluable for teaching,” Toledano said. “My course on science fiction written in Spanish has been very popular, and being able to utilize scholarly research papers will add to the class’s success. Additionally, many scholars, authors, and interested people around the world will look at the journal for their own research and teaching.”

The journal takes its name from a process that ancient alchemists used to turn base metals into gold. The journal’s mission is not far from this idea: it aims to act as a distiller of “(im)possible” dreams of science fiction and fantasy, and the research it showcases is part of a growing field in the United States and around the world.

“It is not a niche any longer,” Toledano said. “Today, prestigious academic publishers count on this research for their primary collections. The International Association for the Fantastic in Arts has a section dedicated to international science fiction, and the number of works in Spanish and Portuguese grow each year.”